Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 80: A New Pet

  Chapter 74

A New Pet

Xiaolin was busy collecting lotus stamens and placing them on a lotus leaf, while Hui Song waded through the water to gather more lotus flowers for his granddaughter.

"Grandpa, after we finish collecting the lotus flowers, how about we gather some lotus roots for dinner?" Xiaolin shouted to her grandfather, who was in the lotus pond.

"Lotus roots taste best when cooked with pork bones, but we don’t have any. Should we go to town to buy some?" Hui Song asked his granddaughter.

"That sounds good. We can dry the lotus stamens first and then go to town. We can deliver the gifts tomorrow."

"Alright, let’s do that."

The greedy grandparent and grandchild duo agreed on their plan and continued their work. In addition to the stamens, Xiaolin also collected some lotus petals to slice and dry for lotus petal tea.

After gathering a large pile of lotus flowers, Hui Song joined Xiaolin to help her extract the stamens. He then suggested they go catch some wild chickens. They currently had only ten chickens left, and Xiaolin refused to let any be used for food because she wanted to keep them for eggs and hatching chicks.

"I want some grilled chicken. Can you make some for me, Xiaolin?"

"I’ll marinate the chicken, but you’ll have to grill it yourself, Grandpa. It’s too hot for me."

"Alright,"

"Can you dig up some ginger for me, Grandpa? I want to give it to the elders as well."

"Then you gather the ginger, and I’ll go catch the chickens," Hui Song said. Xiaolin nodded eagerly, as the wild chickens’ nests were not far from where the ginger grew.

Hui Song dug up a large pile of ginger for his granddaughter before heading out to hunt the wild chickens. Xiaolin sat alone, knocking the dirt off the ginger roots. When some dirt wouldn’t come off, she used a twig to scrape it away as much as possible to lighten the load for carrying.

As she was busy scraping the dirt, she felt a pair of eyes watching her. Turning around, she saw a small creature.

"A cat?"

Meoww

The little gray and white cat meowed in response, noticing the human was talking to it. The long-haired cat cautiously approached the little girl, torn between curiosity and fear.

Seeing that the human didn’t pose any threat, the cat rubbed its head against Xiaolin’s back. Xiaolin’s heart melted at the sight. She already had a soft spot for cats and felt an instant affection for this one. However, she was curious as to why it was in the forest.

"Little cat, are you a wild cat?" Xiaolin extended her hand for the cat to sniff, trying to make friends. The kitten sniffed her white hand and then rubbed its head against it, prompting Xiaolin to pet it.

Meoww

"Aww, you’re so cute. Do you want to come live with me?" She scratched the cat’s chin, which it seemed to enjoy very much.

The kitten jumped into the chubby girl’s lap, settling there comfortably. Xiaolin continued knocking dirt off the ginger roots while chatting softly with the cat.

"If you don’t have a family, would you like to stay with me?"

Meow

The kitten looked up at her with bright eyes, its tail swaying gently.

"I’ll make you some rice mixed with mackerel. It’s really tasty."

"Xiaolin, who are you talking to?" Hui Song asked as he returned with two chickens. Xiaolin turned and smiled at her grandfather, lifting the kitten to show him.

"This little kitten came to me. It might have gotten lost from its mother, just like Xiao Zhong did,"

"Do you want to keep it?" Hui Song asked, watching his granddaughter scratch the kitten’s chin. Xiaolin turned to him with pleading eyes.

"Will it be safe for Xiaoyu?"

Xiaolin thought about it. She loved cats but had never owned one. Taking care of herself was already a challenge, and this wild kitten wasn’t used to people.

"Can I try to keep it, Grandpa? I’ll make sure it doesn’t get near Xiaoyu."

"Alright," Hui Song agreed, seeing the hopeful look on his granddaughter’s face. He thought he might have to ask his wife to help look after the cat too.

With her grandfather’s permission, Xiaolin carried the kitten back home. She gave it a bath with fragrant soap.

At first, the kitten resisted, leaving Xiaolin with several scratches. However, after a while, it settled down and allowed her to wash it.

Once the bath was done, she dried the kitten’s fur and took it outside to dry in the breeze under a tree. Xiao Zhong, seeing his little mistress with a new animal, came over to investigate.

Meow

 The kitten hissed at the large, long-haired cow.

"This is Xiao Zhong. He’s also my pet. Don’t be afraid," Xiaolin said, gently petting the kitten. Seeing that the big cow just stood there and then turned to leave, the kitten relaxed and began to snuggle into Xiaolin instead.

"What should I name you? How about Xiao Hui?"

The kitten lifted its paw to lick and clean itself, seemingly indifferent. Xiaolin thought to herself that cats tend to be affectionate when they need a human’s help but become aloof once they are cared for.

"Hmph, you haughty cat. You were so affectionate earlier. Do you want some rice with mackerel?"

Meowww~

The clever cat immediately came over, rubbing its head against her round belly in a bid for affection. Xiaolin felt an urge to nibble on it, but she restrained herself, knowing it might scratch her face, especially since they weren’t familiar with each other yet. Even if they became closer, the haughty cat might still scratch her.

She picked up the kitten and carried it back home, asking her grandmother to steam some mackerel from the bucket. Once the fish was cooked, she grilled it lightly to give it a fragrant aroma before mixing it with rice for the cat.

As soon as Xiao Hui smelled the fish, it circled around its little master who was picking out the fish meat. The cat was meowing trying to hurry the human to finish picking the fish meat so she could mix it with rice.

"Why don’t you pick it apart yourself? It’s hot," Xiaolin scolded the greedy cat. She set aside half the fish for later, thinking it could have it for dinner.

"Here you go, impatient, aren’t you?" She said, handing the small bowl of rice to the cat. Xiao Hui immediately dug in, eating hungrily.

Xiaolin watched it with pity. From its appearance, it seemed like a fat cat, but when she bathed it, she realized it was just fluffy, making it look chubby.

She observed the greedy cat for a while, then went to fetch a small bowl of water for it. Once done, she cleaned herself up and changed into fresh clothes before lying down to play with Tianyu, who was cooing and talking to their beautiful mother. When he saw his sister, he waved his arms and legs excitedly.

"Ah, ah!" Tianyu called out to his sister as if asking where she’d been. He had been awake for a while.

Xiaolin chuckled softly. She bent down to kiss his chubby cheeks, then picked up a toy bird woven from palm leaves and dangled it in front of her brother.

"Ah, ah!" His little hands waved in delight.

"Today, your sister found a cat, Xiaoyu. Once it gets used to our home, I’ll introduce it to you,"

"A cat? When I used to work in the city, I heard customers say that only royalty or nobles could afford to keep them," Hui Ning talked to her daughter while her hands were stitching winter clothes for her chubby son.

"Are they very expensive, Mother?" Xiaolin asked, intrigued, while waving the toy.

"Yes, probably because they are rare."

Xiaolin nodded thoughtfully. She glanced at her chubby little brother, who was full of energy, wriggling and waving his arms and legs non-stop while playing.

"Aren’t you tired yet, hmm?"

"Ahh."

"This little one will probably never stop running around when he grows up," Hui Ning remarked, watching her son play tirelessly with his sister.

"Xiaolin, marinate the chicken for your Grandpa, please," Hui Song shouted from the back of the house, but Zhang Ruo quickly responded that she would do it herself. So, Xiaolin continued playing with her brother.

At that moment, the fluffy kitten sauntered in. It walked over to the edge of the baby’s mat and started licking its paw to clean itself.

Hui Ning, noticing the cute little animal, watched with interest. Xiaolin sat still, curious about what Xiao Hui would do. She raised an eyebrow in surprise when the kitten curled up to sleep at the head of her brother’s mat.

"What did you name it, dear?"

"Xiao Hui, Mother."

Hui Ning chuckled softly, thinking that her daughter had named the kitten based on its fur color, just like she had named Xiao Zhong.

"If you find a black animal next time, will you name it Xiao Hei, hehe?"

Xiaolin pouted, almost making her nose touch her lips. She looked at the kitten, now asleep after a satisfying meal.

"Oh, right. I need to dry the lotus stamens," she said, kissing her brother’s cheek before running off.

The chubby girl poured the lotus stamens onto a tray and spread them out evenly, placing them where the sunlight would reach. Then she returned to the backyard, grabbing a small cutting board and a knife her father had bought her. She started slicing the lotus petals into small pieces, her nose catching the smell of grilled chicken that her grandfather was cooking.

"Grandpa, I’m hungry," she said, unable to resist the delicious aroma. Hui Song laughed heartily at her remark.

"I just started grilling. How can it be done so quickly?"

"Ugh, I want it to cook faster."

"I’m not a god, you little rascal. I can’t magically make the chicken cook faster."

"You’re not an immortal, but you’re a wine sage,"

Hui Song jumped, quickly looking around to see if his wife was nearby. Xiaolin giggled at her grandfather’s frantic reaction.

"You cheeky thing. Are you trying to get me in trouble?" Hui Song sighed in relief when he saw that his wife was not around.

"Who told you to drink so much? I have been knowing and seeing. Xiaolin knows, Xiaolin sees."

"You little rascal, I won’t share any grilled chicken with you."

"I’ll tell Grandma!"

"Alright, alright, I give in,"

"Hehe" the girl laughed with her mouth opened wide.

Hui Ning, who had intended to take her son for a walk outside, shook her head slightly when she saw her daughter teasing her grandfather.

"You little bully, be careful your grandpa will get back at you," she said with a soft laugh.

"I didn’t do anything bad," her words made Hui Song, who had sneaked a drink that morning, choke a bit.

"Grandpa, you drink too often. I know and I see."

"If Grandpa gets you back, I won’t help you,"

"I’ll ask Grandma for help," Xiaolin replied smugly.

"Ah!" Tianyu raised his tiny fist as if to say he would help his sister.

"You’ll stand by your sister, won’t you, Xiaoyu? Good! When you grow up, I’ll buy you lots of snacks," Xiaolin said, amused by her brother’s adorable actions.

“Ooo, ah!” You promised, big sister!

"Really, no one sides with me?" Hui Song said, feigning sadness.

Seeing this, Xiaolin put down her knife, jumped off the bamboo bed, and hugged her grandfather’s back.

"If you behave, then I will side with you."

Hui Song felt a mix of emotions, thinking whether his granddaughter was being kind or just teasing him. He couldn’t keep up with her antics.

By the time they ate the grilled chicken, Xiaolin had finished slicing the lotus petals for drying. One chicken was shared with the children who had been drawn to the aroma, and the villagers hired to work also took a break to eat. Zhang Ruo had prepared tom yum with mackerel for them, but they had to bring their own rice.

Seeing everyone enjoying their meal, Tianyu cried out for milk. Hui Ning had to take him inside to nurse, even though she had just had a few bites.

Watching her mother, Xiaolin felt apprehensive. She realized that pregnancy and childbirth were tough. The pain of labor, the challenges of raising a baby, the constant feeding, and the cleaning, it all made her shudder.

Though babies were adorable, Xiaolin decided that she would never go through pregnancy herself!

Therefore, she would never get married and preferred to remain single forever!

Unaware of his granddaughter’s thoughts, Zhang Ruo enjoyed her meal with grilled chicken, complimenting how well it was marinated and how perfectly her husband had grilled it without drying it out.

Hui Song, fearing that his wife might discover his frequent secret drinking, eagerly served her and their chubby granddaughter, even handing Xiaolin a chicken drumstick. She bit into it with great enjoyment.

"Grandma, can you make lotus root soup with pork bones for dinner? Xiaolin and Grandpa want to eat it,"

"Alright, then you need to go buy some pork bones and pork fat, too. We’re out of lard,"

"Sure, I was planning to take Xiaolin to the market this afternoon,"

"Let Xiaolin have a nap for an hour first,"

"Okay, I’ll go cut some bamboo to weave baskets while I wait."

"Grandpa, can you weave some baskets for me too? I want to use them to carry oranges to the elders in the city,"

Hearing this, Xiaolin thought it would be a good idea to use baskets instead of wooden boxes or cloth, which would save money and look unique and beautiful. People would probably appreciate them.

"Baskets, huh? How do we make those?"

"I’ll show you," Xiaolin said eagerly.

After lunch, Hui Song went to cut bamboo and started weaving baskets, with Xiaolin supervising by his side. He had been weaving his own baskets since he was young, so after Xiaolin explained the process and he tried it twice, he got the hang of it.

Xiaolin ran to fetch several oranges and filled the basket, then had her grandfather tie the top with bamboo strips.

"It looks unique and beautiful," Zhang Ruo commented as she observed the two working on the baskets.

"Yes, and it saves us from using cloth or wooden boxes," Xiaolin replied, crossing her arms and lifting her chin proudly.

"Very clever, my dear. Who are you going to give these to?"

"To Uncle Zhou, Grandpa Hong, Uncle Zheng, and Grandpa Song Li,"

Upon hearing the last name, the grandfather and granddaughter exchanged knowing looks. The chubby Xiaolin grinned and winked at her grandfather, who, in turn, smacked his lips, feeling his mouth water.

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